…expresses readiness for the festivities

The Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has expressed readiness to cater to the waste management needs of residents before, during, and after the Easter festivities.

The managing director/CEO, Mr. Ibrahim Odumboni, who gave the indication in a release, affirmed the agency’s commitment to maintaining a clean and healthy environment in Lagos, during and after the Easter celebrations.

In a statement released by Mrs. Kadiri Folashade, Director, Public Affairs, Odumboni said, to achieve this goal, the agency has stepped up its operations by adding more fleets across all districts in the state, adding that PSP operators had also been directed to work efficiently in their designated areas irrespective of assigned days, with the agency providing backup services to bridge any gap.

“We want to assure residents that LAWMA has made adequate arrangements by adding more trucks across all the districts to ensure that this year’s Easter celebration was observed in an environmentally friendly atmosphere. PSP operators have also been mandated to ensure prompt evacuation of waste generated by tenements, during and after the festive period”, Odumboni said.

He implored the populace to avoid acts that could pollute the environment, and advised motorists to drive with caution, considering the sanitation workers (street sweepers) and other service providers discharging their duties during the period.

While wishing Lagosians a clean Easter celebration, the LAWMA boss urged residents to bag their waste, patronise assigned PSP operators, and promptly pay their waste management bills.

For waste management-related issues in your area, call LAWMA toll-free numbers 07080601020 and 617.

Rashidat Olushola Okunlade Writes

The Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has set 1st April 2023, as commencement date for placement of abatement notices on homes without waste bins across the state, in a move aimed at ensuring proper waste
management and environmental hygiene in Lagos State.

Commenting on the development, Managing Director/CEO of LAWMA, Ibrahim Odumboni, noted the importance of waste bins in homes for promoting a clean and healthy environment, adding that bins provided a designated
space for domestic waste disposal, helping to prevent littering and indiscriminate dumping of refuse on streets.

He said, “Proper waste management is a key component of maintaining a clean and healthy environment. Waste bins provide a designated location for waste disposal, and this helps to prevent the spread of diseases and maintain a hygienic environment”.

He also warned that the enforcement of the use of waste bins by tenements across the state would begin on 1st June 2023, stressing that, the agency has set up a task force responsible for ensuring compliance in all homes.

“We have set up a task force that will be responsible for enforcing the use of waste bins across the state. The task force will be working closely with community leaders, stakeholders, and other relevant agencies to ensure compliance with the policy,” he emphasised.

Odumboni urged residents to embrace the use of waste bins and make it a habit to dispose of their waste responsibly, calling on landlords and property owners to provide waste bins for their properties and ensure they are regularly emptied and maintained.

In a related development, LAWMA has organised an orientation programme for its enforcement and abatement notice teams, on standard rules and proper conduct while engaging tenements on the issue of procurement of
smart waste bins, for their homes.

The Executive Director of Finance, Kunle Adebiyi, who represented the MD/CEO of LAWMA, at the event, emphasised the importance of the authority’s Adopt-a-Bin project, meant to curb waste migration, indiscriminate dumping, and enhance waste recycling while helping to reduce the amount of waste going to the landfills.

On his own part, LAWMA’s chief technical officer, Dr. Olorunwa Tijani, who spoke on the topic, “Bin Placement and Evacuation”, advised tenements to place their waste bins at strategic places to make them accessible for seamless evacuation by assigned PSP operators.

Dr. Essien Nsuabia, Assistant General Manager, Sustainability and Partnership, who moderated the training, spoke on “Overview and Policies on Adopt-a-Bin”, emphasised that the initiative was aimed at ensuring effective waste containerisation in homes, offices, and other facilities.

Akin Alabi of WasteCare Solutions, explained that the smart bins could be purchased online through the website, www.buylawmabin.com, adding that deliveries would take three working days, once the payment was
confirmed.

Other facilitators at the orientation program included the head Legal Services, Uthman Rilwan; the head of LAWMA Academy, Elizabeth Ademola; the head of Recycling, Jirinsola Okunbanjo, and the head of Corporate
Affairs, Olaniyan Aramide. Senior LAWMA officials were also in attendance.

Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has been nominated as one of the four African partners in the GreenVETAfrica project, according to a release from the authority.

GreenVETAfrica project is an Erasmus+ project funded, by the European Commission, seeking to integrate unemployed youth and vulnerable groups into the labour markets in Nigeria and Ghana, by offering technical and entrepreneurial training on green waste management.

The Green Waste Management and Micro Entrepreneurship Vocational Education Training project, aims to contribute to the twin transitions (Green and Digital), in alignment with the ambitious environmental objectives of the European Green Deal and Europe – Africa strategic partnership.

Commenting on the nomination, the Managing Director/CEO of LAWMA, Mr. Ibrahim Odumboni, noted that it was delightful that LAWMA was a part of the project, as it aligned with the Authority’s mandate of providing an efficient and sustainable waste management system in Lagos State.

Odumboni said, “LAWMA is committed to promoting a sustainable environment and a circular development model that will transform linear economy into a circular one. This project aligns with the agency’s vision to promote sustainable development and create job opportunities for the youth in Lagos, Nigeria. As a responsible waste management authority, LAWMA believes that waste is a resource and can be transformed into a valuable asset. The GreenVETAfrica project will equip young Nigerians with the skills to manage waste sustainably, promote a circular economy, and reduce the negative impact of waste on the environment, he said.

He noted further that, as one of the beneficiaries of the GreenVETAfrica project, LAWMA would strengthen its training capacities to offer a green waste management vocational training program to young Nigerians, adding that, through innovative digital tools, the program would equip young Nigerians with the necessary skills to reduce waste and pollution, making better use of waste generated, and guaranteeing environmental
standards.

“The GreenVETAfrica project will also help to close the existing skills gap and shortage of professional figures, capable of supporting a twin (green and digital) sustainable transition. It will design and pilot an innovative VET program, that will cater to the demands of the market while helping to mitigate the brain drain from the two African countries, and reduce the risk of illegal and unsafe migration of youth”, he stressed.

He stated that LAWMA would work closely with the partners, to ensure that the project objectives were achieved, adding that the project would foster official accreditation of the GVA VET program, by both Nigeria and Ghana authorities, to promote the learners’ employability, and to increase local employment opportunities.

Odumboni remarked that the nomination marked a watershed in the agency’s efforts at establishing the culture of environmental sustainability in Lagos State, especially through its educational arm, LAWMA Academy, as a veritable tool to effectively impart knowledge of proper waste management.